Meredith Kercher: Two Years After Her Murder

Posted by Meredith Kercher on Facebook in 2007 under the title, “Halloween Perugia Styliieeeeee!”

Meredith Kercher’s last Halloween is being remembered all across Italy. She’s the popular British exchange student and Erasmus scholar stabbed to death in Perugia November 1, 2007. Trial resumes November 20, 2009 for Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, the two college students accused of conspiring with drifter Rudy Guede to murder and sexually assault Meredith, only two months into her Italian adventure. Rudy has already been convicted of the crime and will appeal on November 18, 2009.
Meredith began her studies with other Erasmus scholars at the University for Foreigners, where she polished her Italian skills, soon moving on to difficult coursework at the University of Perugia. She was known for her intelligence, warm nature, and delightful sense of humor, as demonstrated in the last messages she sent to friends back home:
*I have been trying to go to uni am taking modern history, modern political theories and cinema history. It’s all mostly about the French revolution which i know nothing about. would say it’s going well!! Miss u, especially dancing xx

*It’s starting to get really cold now. But the chocolate festival is on at the moment, so a good excuse to drink a lot of hot chocolate.

The British scholar had planned to fly to London on November 9 to celebrate her mother’s birthday. Her body was found on November 2, in the cottage that she shared with three young women, including Amanda Knox, a third-year University of Washington student from Seattle.
Meredith’s mother, Arline Kercher, has announced a mass in honor of her daughter, in London on November 1. Meredith left behind her father, British journalist John Kercher; her sister Stephanie; and two brothers, Lyle and John.

I’ll post links here to the coverage of this anniversary.

These flowers are from my garden, and I posted them for Meredith two years ago, in the first story I wrote about the case.

Rest in peace, Meredith.

My blog will remain closed to comments. I’ll post new links about the case and Italian life in general in the comments box.

*Messa a Londra per Mez. Sollecito prega in galera (Mass in London for Meredith; Sollecito prays for her in jail) The mass will be a “dignified memorial and simple as befits the memory of Mez,” the family says, and they hope “that the trial will end within the next five weeks and Mez can finally be remembered for who she was and not as a victim or a news story. “